Tag: orchestra

Close your eyes, leave reality behind and escape into a fantasy world of your choosing.. with Empty World – the atmospheric new soundtrack album by Kevin Kerrigan (or KK to his friends).

It’s an epic experience – The Steampunk Orchestra (backed by a full choir) perform a rich, cinematic work which journeys from grand flights of fantasy to the intimate, reflective, and dreamlike.

KK’s music is as ever, a melting pot of influences – a diverse background, working with the likes of Brian Eno, Bjork, and Hollywood’s James Newton Howard is evident – together with a subtle range of colour drawn from the worlds of film, classical, and electronic (Eno, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Wagner, Demdike Stare, Korngold and Faure to name but a few). It’s a postmodern sound which is unclassifiable – part ambient, part filmscore, part something else entirely..

“There’s too much music now. Too much stuff. We live in a time of information overload, so there’s something luxurious and liberating about turning out the lights and escaping, completely immersing yourself in a soundscaped dreamworld”

Paradoxically, Empty World is a soundtrack to a film which exists solely in the mind. “Maybe there should be a new genre called ISM – Imaginary Soundtrack Music”, says KK, “many of us love a good soundtrack, but it’s not always ideal to listen to, as it’s made to fit a specific picture or story. There’s too much association burdening the music. This is designed to be experienced with the ears alone. To spark the imagination and dream to. I’ve had messages from writers saying they play my music to help put them in a creative headspace – what an honour! But, yes that exactly where it works best.”

What’s on the bonus disk (special edition)?

“It’s a DVD – a 5:1 surround sound version. The DVD contains no pictures just music, which you play in “3D” through your home cinema system. I love the completely immersive experience, though some people prefer the good old stereo CD/ipod on headphones – it’s entirely personal.

Empty World is designed to help escape the dull burdens of the real world and just holiday for 45 minutes. Films and gaming are powerful portals to escape dull reality. This is less didactic though, and doesn’t require spoonfed imagery or ‘story’. Our ‘mind movies’ are more incredible than any film could ever be – that’s why reading a great book can be such a surprisingly powerful experience, and waking up from a particularly special (or lurid) dream can be such a disappointment!”

Last year, KK’s album “Telescopes” was, in this reviewer’s book, eclipsed only by the mighty Mercury Rev in the top-albums-of-the-year stakes. Now KK (aka Kevin Kerrigan) and his steamy, punky orchestra return with “The Magic Lantern,” a concept album concerning the lady Aoide in some kind of alternate Victoriana-land. Unlike the earlier work this is an intrumental album, but the musical feel is similar, though the vibe is different.

Opening track “Aoide” mixes mysterious orchestral samples with whirling keyboards, before we enter a sonic tapestry of clicking devices and odd sounds. Slowly, a tune hoves into view, uttered by a vocal sample, and then more regular instruments, like bass, strings and hand claps. The tune, “Carousel,” is another of the themes that this highly talented musician does so well, embroidered with fluttering flutes, subtle strings and sundry sound effects. The tune expands as further instruments, samples, percussions and effects are added. Marvellously done.

“Pioneers” begins with a spooky sample and another operatic vocal, before keening strings and bass bring another epic theme into earshot. KK’s production abilities (he has worked with Björk and Brian Eno amongst many others) allow him to both strip down and embroider his music with considerable skill, so that not a dull minute passes by. After a brief breakdown a violin solo soars over the music, adding human warmth. “Cirque Du Lac” sounds like madness in the orchestra pit, as sounds and samples collide, often in head-spinning stereo. Subtle use of operatic voice samples and another violin makes the track cohere with what has already passed. Great bass too.

“The Magic Lantern” slows things down a little, but continues the use of solo female vocal, this time supported by piano, viola, thrumming bass and choir sounds. Effective and moving, and as ever beautifully produced, the track slides through keys and chords as did some of the tracks on “Telescopes,” an album to which this track is akin. “Mermaid” is also slow and melancholy, with flute and glockenspiel taking the listener on a soft trip. Subtle brass, choir and percussions underpin the track before it bursts out into something stronger. This kind of slow-build, strongly themed track is what KK does so well.

“Rhapsody” is a particularly lovely, albeit rather sad, theme, played in waltztime on violin with orchestral and piano accompaniment; the album highlight melodically, for sure. And the arrangement is simple, contrasting nicely with earlier, more frenetic tracks. “Desert Isle” carries its theme on brass instruments, supported by Mediterranean sounds and percussions; a slow, lazy summer vibe sourced somewhere in Southern Spain…

“Into The Jungle” has a light drum’n’bass feel amidst the echoing orchestral samples and sounds. This is a particularly trippy track, bouncing all over the sonic universe, though held together with a strong vocal-sample theme. A beautifully judged ending returns the listener to the world of Victoriana. “Lazarus,” the longest track on the album, clocking in at almost eight minutes, opens with distant piano and deeply reverberated choir sounds, before glockenspiel synth, bass and keening strings bring another thematically strong, slow-build track. As before, the use of orchestra and choir sounds adds to the epic quality of the music. A terrific ending to a wonderful album.

It would be pleasing if KK and his undoubted musical talent were noticed by more people. He is producing some of the best, most interesting and enjoyable music that I’ve heard recently. An enthusiastically recommended album, and one worthy of standing next to “Telescopes.”

400 years since some bloke called Galileo decided to look up one night, I find myself in the Brittany countryside on a balmy summer’s night doing the very same thing.

Thanks to a complete absence of light pollution, stargazing really is something else out here. The pitiful handful of stars (if any) one can see in the London sky pale into insignificance once your eyes have feasted on the French countryside’s vast tableau of the universe around us. In fact, even with my naked eye I can clearly see the cloudy band of the Milky Way encircling us as we invisibly hurtle through space at close to half a million miles per hour – it’s really quite spectacular. As for Galileo, the catholic church of course famously condemned him for his ‘heresy’ before finally admitting he was right after all.. a mere 359 years later in 1992! and I thought record labels were slow.. zzzz

I’m writing this with paint splattered fingers as I have been painting by day, a frivolous archaic pastime to complement my two core daily activities of drinking wine and getting sunburnt. Today’s efforts however resulted in something which I can only describe as a particularly primitive cave painting by a blind primary school child with learning difficulties. It’s a grotesquely ugly seascape which I annoyingly decided to paint over quite a nice lush golden abstract piece, which was before that a rural farm scene. Still, the fire will burn well tonight.

I’m here taking a welcome few days out after having completed my new record “The Magic Lantern”. The album is an instrumental fantasy soundtrack, an adventure set in the surreal, romantic Neo Victorian universe of the Steampunk. In a journey of pure artistic indulgence, I recorded it with an eclectic, hugely talented, bunch of musicians called The Steampunk Orchestra.

The Magic Lantern by KK and The Steampunk Orchestra

There are some clips on our site if you’d like a sneak preview – www.kkthemusic.com .. the album will be available to buy (or preorder) there on deluxe CD, and on MP3 via iTunes etc from 09/09/09